Can Upregulation of CXCR3 By Phototherapy Improve Vitiligo? It’s Role in Chronicity

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo is melanocyte death that is affected by oxidative stress which elevated levels of reactive oxygen species can elicit an immune response, and ultimately cause melanocytic death. Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the impact of Narrowband Ultraviolet B (NBUVB) and excimer laser phototherapy on C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 3B expression in vitiligo patients and its impact on vitiligo improvement. Patients and methods: CXCR3B mRNA expression was measured in skin of 25 patients suffering from non-segmental vitiligo before and after generalized 'NBUVB' and targeted phototherapy 'Excimer laser'. All biopsies were kept in -80C till RNA extraction that was performed utilizing QIAGEN RNeasy Little Pack, QuantiTect Switch Record Unit and QuantiNova SYBR Green PCR Unit. Results: After phototherapy patients with vitiligo had higher CXCR3B mRNA levels, in addition, this was higher in excimer bunch treatment than NBUVB. Conclusion: Such findings draw attention to CXCR3B as an inherited abnormality in vitiligo patients' skin and raise concerns about its potential contributions in maintaining vitiligo or triggering relapses & chronicity.